DEAR ALIZARIN: "Educational Triage"

Riding home today, my carpooling partner said he finally came to the realization that he is not really teaching, but conducting "Educational Triage." Brilliant analogy. In a community in crisis, in some ways at war with socio-economic and racial discrimination, we must determine who is able to be saved and who is not with our limited resources (time, energy, books, etc). The most accurate description of teaching in a 'high-needs' school and the dilemma of public school teachers in overcrowded classrooms.